Two ‘toebroodjies’ for charity

TAKE THE TIME TO DO YOUR PART Paul Engebrecht is a recipient of two toebroodjies, courtesy of volunteer students with the aim to decrease hunger around Stellenbosch.

SINESIPHO MBANGU

Toebroodjie, a team of 25 students at Stellenbosch University (SU), have made it their mission to bring awareness to hunger in Stellenbosch and the loneliness that street life can bring.

Toebroodjie is an organisation that is run by Carl Prinsloo as well as Megan Cromhout.

Prinsloo said that Toebroodjie visits the homeless in the streets of Stellenbosch once a week.

The team currently provides two sandwiches to 35-40 homeless people, and they also spend time talking to them.

According to Prinsloo, the homeless are used to people giving them money and then sending them away. The team is divided into smaller groups and the route they usually take starts at Die Braak. They make their way to the police station and the Stelkor pharmacy.

He added that they also take into account the safety risks of the area and are working on adding more routes when their team expands. Toebroodjie has an Instagram page (@toebroodjies) where they share some of the stories of the people that they help.

According to Prinsloo, Toebroodjie wants to post positive stories on Instagram to tell the life stories of the homeless.

“The aim of the platform isn’t actually to get people to feel sorry for them, we want to show everyone that you can add to people’s happiness in a positive sense,” Prinsloo said. He added that giving the homeless a platform to share their stories restores a sense of humanity in society. Paul Engelbrecht, a homeless man who does gardening work at St Mary’s Anglican Church and Rhenish, said that many of the homeless sit at the taxi rank and have no jobs to make money to feed themselves.

He said that the sandwiches he received from Toebroodjie gave him energy so that he could work. Cathleen May, a homeless woman, says students from Toebroodjie approached her when she was sitting on a bench at Die Braak.

She added that what she enjoyed the most about the visit was that she got to talk to them.

Prinsloo said that their plan is to visit various residences and private student organisations (PSOs) in order to expand Toebroodjie beyond the town of Stellenbosch by having more people join the team.

He added Toebroodjie is not exclusive to the students of SU.

Prinsloo said that people can contribute by giving bread, bread spread, cling wrap and foil, ready-made sandwiches, money, old clothes, blankets and they can also join the team to prepare and hand out sandwiches.

“It truly is a humbling experience, opens one’s eyes and changes one’s perspective on the workings of society,” Prinsloo said.

To join the team or donate send Toebroodjies a direct message via @toebroodjies or contact them on 072 024 7790.

Photo: Fourie Möller

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GVB Protest Opinions

Paballo Thabethe

“I feel so strongly this. Because I personally come from a background where my mom was abused, all of this triggers a lot of emotions. I feel so strongly about this topic, and about asking Stellenbosch to stand up, because Stellenbosch was usually a university that barricaded such issues. I feel like the fact that we are out here, speaking about it, is a step in the right direction.”

Leo Figueira

“For me, it was very apparent that there were not a lot of men, and specifically white men, at this rally. That is the main thing that, as a white man, stood out for me. The lack of concern on the faces of the management was also very clear. The general anger, fear, frustration and anxiety was very apparent, and I think it came out in a way that it needed to come out. This will hopefully resonate with the rest of the community.”

Elode Duvenhage

“I feel like the management, at times, was not listening or engaging. There was no understanding. In a way I do understand that it is horrible to be screamed at by students and then having to respond, but just trying to show a little more sympathy would have been nicer. Another question is: how come they are only listening to us now? This started years ago, and these issues shouldn’t be dealt with now, on the last day of the third term. Also, and many people brought this up, this is a situation where students must choose between human rights or marks. It is not fair to place that on students who want both.”

Kaiser Aryee

“I was initially playing devil’s advocate, because I thought that this is an educational institution, and if there is no major obstruction, we should continue as normal. But as I got here and the officials addressed us, I felt that there was a sense of apathy – I don’t think they are on the ground enough with students, and that is what they get paid for. I can’t play devil’s advocate as much as I previously could. Our officials can definitely do more for us. We need more engagement with students. I am sick of emails – it is the most impersonal way to address people. I feel like, as a leader, you should be able to use your critical thinking skills, which you should have if you are in that position, to think up solutions – you can’t just go in circles when people are dissatisfied.”

Mieke Verster

“Administratively, the students are more prepared than the management. This is not right, because obviously it is our jobs at university to study, to learn and gain knowledge, and it is theirs to look after us. And I can understand the frustration of students – but of course, it is also frustrating when the crowd starts to talk in circles. I think we need to channel that energy into finding solutions – not because it is our job as students, but because, clearly it is not happening.”

Anon.

“I feel like the management should have supported us more – like, for example, by organising transport to protests. I also think that residence heads should have been here today. I feel like they are making it a you-problem. They could also have given better options for people missing assessments to go to the protests. I am from the biggest female residence, and I can tell you now that only a small fraction of us are present today.”